City comparison
Barnstable Town, MA is about 60 miles (90 km) from Boston, MA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 70 miles, or about 1 h 15 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Barnstable Town, MA to Boston, MA takes about 7 min, covering roughly 60 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Boston has a population of 665,945, vs 48,922 in Barnstable Town — about 13.6× larger by population. By land area, Barnstable Town covers about 60 sq mi vs 48 sq mi for Boston.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Barnstable Town | Boston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,711/mo | $1,981/mo | 15.8% higher in Boston |
| Median home value | $498,700 | $684,900 | 37.3% higher in Boston |
| Median household income | $94,387 | $89,212 | 5.8% higher in Barnstable Town |
| Groceries index | 97.4 | 100.1 | 2.8% higher in Boston |
| Utilities index | 153.1 | 147.4 | 3.9% higher in Barnstable Town |
| Transportation index | 100.7 | 102.2 | 1.5% higher in Boston |
| Healthcare index | 101.5 | 106.4 | 4.8% higher in Boston |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Barnstable Town, you'd need $123,558 in Boston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Barnstable Town, MA is about 19.1% cheaper overall than Boston, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 59% higher in Boston than in Barnstable Town. If you earn $80,000 in Barnstable Town, you'd need about $98,847 in Boston to keep the same standard of living.